Quake3World

In my BIOS APIC mode was turned off by default. I would like to turn it on for the simple fact that it could improve performance(or so I've read). From what I've been reading I would have to reinstall the OS if I enable it. Do any of you know another way around that before I bite the bullet and reinstall?

Bite the bullet is a metalhead song ftw...

Is there any way you can like, regedit it in or somthing?

I don't think so since it's a bios setting. It's set before the OS even starts loading.

BTW, I've been listening to metal since it was around originally.

LoL If you could see what I listen to on http://www.pandora.com not just my mp3 collection, you would see wayyy more of the real stuff, this new stuff is nice but you can only listen to it so much before it gets old, but the old stuff is already old so its always good!

On a more on topic note...
You were talking about reinstalling the os so I figured it was an OS setting during install?

Try enabling it without re-installing?

primaltheory wrote:LoL If you could see what I listen to on http://www.pandora.com not just my mp3 collection, you would see wayyy more of the real stuff, this new stuff is nice but you can only listen to it so much before it gets old, but the old stuff is already old so its always good!

On a more on topic note...
You were talking about reinstalling the os so I figured it was an OS setting during install?

Try enabling it without re-installing?

No, it's independant of the OS. The setting would be the same if I were running Windows, Linux, etc... Anyway, that's the main point of my question. I could set it without reinstalling, but all the info I've gotten so far says you need to or it gets hosed. I just need to know if there is anyone with any real experience with that setting that could tell me if there is a workaround or something so I don't have to reinstall.

I doubt it, sounds like the core .dlls and such are tailored to the motherboard upon inital installation and that would be such a pain to modify...

Just back up your pr0n...err maps and reformat, it's a new year anyways...

I guarantee you it would be the same if I were running linux, which I do btw. It's an interrupt controller that when enabled allows 24 instead of 16 irq channels or something to that equivelent. This takes place before the OS is even starting to boot. When you set things in the bios it's global for any OS. I know this as I have been booting multiple OS's for some time.

But the os's have DLL's somewhere that are set to use 16 instead of 24 irq channels, and that would reqire code for all those extra channels.

Actually the tweak goes that you disable ACPI to get the performance increase. It's done during windows install when you hit f5 during the prompt to install raid drivers - and then you select "standard pc" instead of "apci uniprocessor pc" and you get to take advantage of the more robust irq sorting.

afaik there's no way to do this once you install xp, only during the install.

yea...see its all in the isntall files...

sorry looks like you gotta reinstall :-/

Hmm, I can't for the life of me understand why a reinstall of Windows would be required after changing the APIC mode; it's just a slightly different way of interrupt handling but tailored more to SMP systems (reduced latency). Linux handles it transparently and I assume Windows does the same.

scourge34 wrote:In my BIOS APIC mode was turned off by default. I would like to turn it on for the simple fact that it could improve performance(or so I've read). From what I've been reading I would have to reinstall the OS if I enable it. Do any of you know another way around that before I bite the bullet and reinstall?

Nope, ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) functionality is detected at install and various power management/power saving features are installed on the OS based on that detection. Can you work around it? Yes, but it never really works as well as a fresh install.

To work around it, go to Device Manager, expant Computers, and listed you should see the type of computer Windows thinks you have. Just go update the driver and manually select APCI PC or whatever matches your system. Mine is ACPI Multiprocessor PC.

ACPI and APIC are two different items.

APIC- Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller

ACPI- Advanced Configuration and Power Interface

I think I'm in love

raw wrote:http://www.adriansrojakpot.com/Speed_Demonz/New_BIOS_Guide/APIC_Function.htm

According to that, I should enable it. I'm also going to reinstall to be safe. Thanks people.

Done. Went without a hitch. Thanks for all the help.